Love is the Common Law
by nevermore199
Summary: A tragedy tears at the Valley, but most particularly at the marriage of Cliff and Jill. In the face of this sorrow, ghosts from the past rise and threaten to take away everything that Jill holds dear. -DS Cute, Skye x Jill x Cliff.-
1. Chapter 1: Jill: Dead

_Jill's POV_

There are people who believe that everyone gets what they deserve. Good guys get the girl and saints get wealthy in money and heart, while jerks get mud dumped on them and villains get thrown in jail. The great force of the universe—whether it's whatever god supposedly exists or just plain old karma—ensures that everyone gets what is coming to them.

Some people actually believe that.

I, personally, think it's a load of shit.

* * *

Running a farm, of course, means that I have to get up before the sun in order to do all the chores that need doing—feeding the livestock, watering the crops, and so on. But lately, I have been getting up later and later. The chores still get done, of course; Takakura, a nicer human being than I deserve, goes over my work and redoes the steadily increasing stream of jobs that need redoing.

This morning, it finally comes to something that I have been praying would not happen.

Cliff is the one to wake me up.

"Jill."

I feel his hand shaking my shoulder, and I let out a half-awake groan.

"Jill. I have to go. Jill?"

I blink a couple of times, staring blearily up at my husband. "Cliff…"

"Please wake up, Jill. You have work to do."

With my eyes open, I spend a moment just drinking him in—Cliff. My husband of almost a year. His face is colored with worry.

Oh. He's still talking.

"Jill? I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you. But I have to go…"

"Cliff."

Slowly, I push myself upright in bed, keeping my eyes on him. "I'm sorry," I say. "Guess I overslept."

Cliff bites his lip. He looks like he wants to say something, but obviously changes his mind, because what comes out of his mouth is, "I'll see you tonight."

He leans in, and our lips meet.

I close my eyes, trying my hardest to lose myself in this moment. Trying my hardest to pretend that everything is okay.

* * *

"There you are." Takakura pats me on the shoulder. "I was getting worried. You feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I look up at Takakura apologetically. "I'm really sorry you had to start my work, Takakura. I guess I overslept."

"It's no trouble at all," Takakura replies. "I'm going to head into town. You going to be okay getting the crops watered?"

"Yeah." I nod. "Thanks again."

Takakura nods in return, then walks around me and heads for the farm's exit. I watch him go. Then, with a sigh, I start walking over to the watering hole to fill up my can. With every step, I can feel grass and leaves crunching underneath my feet.

It's Fall.

It's getting colder every day. All of nature's pieces are starting to wither and die. In a short while, it will be Winter. Winter—the season of cold, when no crops grow. The season of death.

For me, it's Winter already.

* * *

After all the chores are done, I go back inside the house, where I stare unhappily at the fridge. I should eat something. I didn't eat a lot yesterday. But I didn't feel like eating then, and I don't feel like it now.

If Cliff were here, he wouldn't be happy with me. He'd be stubborn. He'd fight to get me to eat. If pushed enough, he might even try to force the food down my throat. That's the thing about Cliff—he's the sweetest guy I've ever met, and, at heart, one of those adorably shy types, the kind that blushes roughly every other sentence and tends to stumble on his words. But when it comes to something he's fighting for—I mean _really_ fighting—he can be the most aggravatingly obstinate person ever. It's a side of him that doesn't come out much. I hardly ever saw a hint of it before we married, and even now it doesn't come up very often. Mostly, it appears when he's really worried about me.

He does that a lot, now. Worries about me. As impossible as it should be, it makes me feel even guiltier than I already do.

So I should eat something. A little. I go over to the fridge and open it, looking at the food inside. My eyes fall on a little cluster of apples near the front of one of the middle shelves—his favorite food after Finest Curry.

I take an apple out. When I bite into it, it tastes sweeter than anything I've had in a while, food or not.

I shut the fridge and close my eyes.

* * *

When I'm done with the chores, I really don't do anything else. Sometimes I go for walks. I never have any particular destination; I just walk to move, to keep moving. Sometimes I go back to bed and sleep for hours, hopefully managing to drag myself awake before Cliff gets home so that I can start dinner.

Today, I don't feel like doing either. I don't want to leave, but I don't want to stay here.

I could go visit someone. But that possibility is one I rarely exercise these days. Everyone I talk to gives me the look—a mixture of pity and sorrow. They all feel sorry for me. Even worse, they try to understand what I'm going through, even though there's no possible way that they can.

And no matter how much I lie about being fine, they never really believe me. They pretend to believe me just to make me feel better, but they walk away knowing full well that I'm not telling the truth.

I need someone who doesn't try to comfort me with empty words. Someone who doesn't give me the sympathetic look that I dread.

In short, I need a miracle.

* * *

"Good to see you, Murrey."

With a long sigh, I plop down next to Murrey, who is sitting under his usual tree next to the Blue Bar. His little money can is sitting next to him, and I toss a few coins inside.

"Th-thank you," he says to me. "That h-helps…"

I always feel kind of bad for Murrey. If I could, I would give him enough money to get him back to his old home and set him up with a mansion for him and his entire family. But more importantly, when I see Murrey, I have trouble focusing on my own problems. And Murrey himself, bless his heart, is far too concerned with his own problems to offer any help with mine.

"It's getting cold," I say offhandedly.

"Y-Yes…"

"It'll be Winter soon."

"Yes…"

We both fall silent after that. Admittedly, having a conversation with Murrey is a little difficult. But right now, that's fine with me. I have no problem just sitting here. It's kind of nice, actually.

A while later, the door to the Blue Bar opens, and Muffy comes outside. She sees me sitting next to Murrey and hurries over. "Oh, Jill! How are you?"

"Fine." I look up at her. "What are you doing?"

"Just getting ready for work." She glances at Murrey. "Oh, hello, Murrey. Are you coming in to eat tonight?"

Murrey gives a shaky nod. "Y-Yes. People drop some good things in there."

"Well, tell you what…The door's open; why don't you head on in and warm up? Maybe Griffin will give you some food. How about that?"

Murrey grins through his shaggy beard and stands up in a hurry. He grabs his money can so quickly that the coins I put in almost spill out. Luckily, he catches it and rights it in time.

"Th-thank you," he says to Muffy, nodding as he turns to me. "Thank you t-too." He heads for the bar and goes inside.

"I feel so bad for him," Muffy says quietly as soon as he's gone.

"Me too." I trace a little circle in the grass next to me. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, nothing, really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

I sigh. "I'm fine, Muffy. Really."

"Honey, you were sitting out in the cold, under a tree, next to Murrey. And you didn't look particularly joyful."

"I have to go." I stand up. "I need to start working on dinner."

Muffy bites her lip. "Jill."

"I'm making curry," I continue tonelessly. "It's Cliff's favorite, you know."

"Jill, wait. I'm sorry." Muffy looks so painfully apologetic that it makes me feel bad all over again.

"Muffy, you didn't do anything." I pat Muffy on the shoulder. "I really do need to go."

"Okay." Muffy smiles at me. "If you need anything, you know you can come to me. You or Cliff."

"I know, Muffy." I glance down the road. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay." Muffy takes a step back. "Take care, Jill," she says.

She heads back to the bar, and before I know it, tears are falling down my face.

* * *

I don't really plan on making curry. I don't plan on making anything. These days, Cliff gets his own dinner separately from me, or eats at the Inn in Mineral Town, where he works. I don't know if he's doing it to help me—maybe he thinks my heart and soul will be healed if I have to cook less—or to avoid me.

Neither one is desirable.

Tonight, I take out a bowl of leftover tomato soup. I look from it to the kitchen. Then I take it and dump it down the sink. I put the empty bowl into the sink too.

Then I walk over to bed and crawl under my blankets, hoping—as I do every night—that when I finally drift off, I never wake up.

* * *

There are people who believe that everyone gets what they deserve. But I know that's not true.

Cliff does not deserve to have a wife like me—a woman so broken that she does not know how to put herself back together, how to hold herself up.

Takakura does not deserve to have a goddaughter like me—a pathetic excuse for a farmer who can barely get any work done anymore, who adds nothing but unnecessary burdens to an aging man.

And my daughter—my baby girl—did not deserve to come out of me dead.

* * *

_story notes: on the chance that there is any confusion, jill's baby was stillborn. jill and cliff, obviously, are married. and yes, i know skye wasn't introduced in this chapter. he'll be coming along later._

_also, for clarity: this story is based on the game "harvest moon: ds cute," in that skye and the mineral town characters appear. however, the layout of forget-me-not-valley is based on the game "harvest moon: a wonderful life," in that there is a vegetable garden near the blue bar, murrey goes to sit under the tree and beg regularly, etc. this shouldn't be overly confusing, but i thought i should mention it._

_anyway, for an important reader message:_

_i started this story a while back, and i have a few chapters completed. however, as a college kid, i don't have time to go around writing stuff if no one's going to read it._

_so, what i'd like you, my loving readers, to do is tell me whether or not you think this story is worth continuing. if it is, i shall continue. if not, i won't._

_i don't mean to be annoying by doing this. i just honestly don't have the time to waste on something that isn't worth._

_so, do let me know, yes?_


	2. Chapter 2: Cliff: Empty

I once thought that I knew sadness. I have ghosts in my past—the death of my mother, the disappearances of my father and sister. And for a long time, the sadness I felt over the loss of them was all that I knew.

But now I realize that there is something worse. It is the pain I feel at the loss of my daughter. It is the pain I see on the face of my wife, who now wanders around lifeless, a shell of the beautiful woman that I married. Whose eyes are so empty that she might as well be dead herself.

It is knowing that in the back corner of our farmland, nestled among a shrine of trees and bushes and flowers, is a gravestone for my daughter, who never even got to take a breath before she came into the world dead.

* * *

I've worked at the Aja Winery in Mineral Town for a long time—since my first year in Mineral Town. I box the grapes and wine, make deliveries, take inventory, that sort of thing. I don't actually make the wine; that's Duke's job.

Duke and Manna have been wonderful to me; they treat me like a son, and I'm always grateful for the fact that if not for them giving me a job, I would have had to leave town. They were at my wedding to Jill, sitting in the front row beaming at me. I love them both.

But right now, I almost wish they weren't here. Because then I wouldn't have to see the sympathy on their faces.

"Morning, Cliff," Duke says to me, nodding. It's been a full season and he's still awkward around me.

"Good morning," I reply. "So what are we doing today?"

"Well…" Duke looks around the cellar. "We've got boxes that need to go to the Inn and the Supermarket. They're labeled and sitting right there. When you get back, I think Manna needs help with the books."

"Yes, sir." I glance down and pick up the top two boxes, which are marked to go to the Inn. "I'll get it done."

"Need any help there?"

"No, I think I'm okay." Shifting the boxes in my arms, I head up the cellar stairs.

I squint into the light as I exit the cellar and step out onto the street. Hefting the boxes in my arms, I look down the road.

"All right," I mutter. "To the Inn."

"Cliff, my boy!" Doug claps me heartily on the back, very nearly causing me to drop the boxes. "It's good to see you. That wine for me?"

"Yeah," I say. "Where can I put it?"

"Oh, you can just give it to me," Doug replies, reaching out his arms to me. "I'll get them."

I carefully hand him the boxes. "You sure? Really, it's no trouble."

"No, it's fine." Doug smiles. "I'm sure you have plenty to do." He turns to the stairs. "Ann!" he calls.

Oh.

Ann comes hurrying down the stairs from the second floor. "Yes, Dad?" Then she spots me. "Oh, Cliff! Hello!" She waves, grinning widely.

"Hi, Ann." I try to return her smile with as much enthusiasm as she's showing. It's hard.

"Ann, do you mind watching the counter for me while I take these boxes to the back?" Doug starts walking toward the back. "I'll just be a minute."

"Sure, Dad." Ann walks over to me, still smiling. "How are you, Cliff?"

I shrug. "Fine."

Ann accepts my answer with a little nod, knowing what I really mean—that I'm as fine as anyone can be when they've lost a child. That I'm really not fine.

"How's Jill?" she asks.

"She's…" I want to say that Jill is fine, too. But I don't think I can. Lying about myself is one thing. Lying about her? Something else. "She's having a hard time right now."

"Yeah…" Ann pats me on the shoulder. "I'm really sorry about everything, Cliff."

"I know. Thanks, Ann."

Doug reappears from the back, and Ann glances over her shoulder at him, then turns back to me. "Well, I guess I should get back to work." She smiles at me. "Come back soon, okay?"

"Yeah. Of course." I nod at her and Doug separately. "See you guys."

I head out the door without looking back. But even as I do, the smallest part of me wonders what it would be like if I did. If I could.

* * *

I'm done for the day at five o' clock, and I should head straight home. I used to. I should.

Instead, I go to the church and slip into a pew in the front row. I look down, letting out a long sigh.

"Cliff?"

Carter comes out of the confessional, dusting off his robe. He smiles at me. "Hello, Cliff. How are you today?"

"Oh. Carter." I shrug. "I'm fine, I guess."

Carter can obviously tell I'm lying, but he's too nice to press me about it. "That's good to hear," he says instead. "Did you have a good day?"

"Sure." I look away. "I'm just going to sit here for a while, if that's okay."

"Of course. Take your time."

I close my eyes, remembering back when I first came to Mineral Town, when I would spend my entire day here. Why had I, anyway? Did I really think that spending my days in a church would do anything at all for me? Was it supposed to give me good fortune, absolve me of my sins, make me feel better about myself? Because it didn't do any of those things.

It didn't do anything, really.

* * *

Eventually, I manage to drag myself out of my seat, say goodbye to Carter, and slowly shuffle my way out of the Church. But I pull short in shock at the realization that the sky is almost completely dark.

Damn.

I'm late. Really late. And I still have an hour walk back to Forget-Me-Not Valley. It's not like I expect to get robbed on the way home or anything, but I'm still not keen on making that walk home at this time of night.

I can either make my trek home at breakneck speed like I should, or stay at the Inn tonight like I shouldn't.

I can do the right thing, or I can be a coward.

Is it any wonder that my feet take me straight to the Inn?

* * *

As it turns out, I left my money at home today; ergo, no money for the pay phone at the Inn. But when I ask Doug if I can borrow the change, he insists on paying.

"Really, Doug, I can pay you back," I say.

"It's no trouble at all," Doug replies, shaking his head and waving me toward the phone. "I'm not going to stand in the way of a guy calling his wife."

He walks to the other end of the counter to give me some privacy, and I take a long look at the phone before picking it up with a sigh. I dial the familiar number, listen as the phone rings. It keeps going for a while, and I almost hang up before the answer, groggy and tired, comes through. "Hello?"

"Jill. Hi." I shift against the counter. "It's me."

"Oh…Cliff." Jill yawns. "Hi."

"Did I wake you up?"

"Oh. Yeah. I fell asleep."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Jill yawns again. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Inn." I bite my lip. "I stopped by the Church to see Carter and I lost track of time. And I'm tired; I really don't want to make that walk in the dark."

"Oh." Jill's voice is small, so faint that I almost have to strain to hear it. "So…you're staying there?"

"Just tonight," I say hurriedly, trying to reassure her. "I'll come straight home from work tomorrow."

Jill is silent on the other line.

"I really am sorry," I finish.

"Cliff?" Jill swallows audibly on the other line.

"Yes?"

"I…" Jill's voice fades. "Um…never mind."

"What is it?"

"No, it's nothing." Jill sighs. "I'm not mad, Cliff. You can stay there."

"Are you sure? I can come home…"

"No, really. Stay there. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Well…okay," I say hesitantly. "I'll see you."

"All right. Bye."

"Bye."

I hang up the phone, and then I realize something for the second time—I left my money at home. I couldn't pay for a phone call, much less dinner and a room.

Wonderful.

"Um…Doug?" I call out, trying hard not to groan, hit myself, or both.

* * *

Doug agrees to house me for the night. We argue for five minutes about who's paying, and somehow I manage to win.

"I will bring you the money as soon as I can," I say firmly.

"I really wish you'd let me—"

"I'll bring you the money."

Doug looks like he very much wants to continue fighting with me, but he reluctantly gives up. "Well, all right." He shuffles his feet. "What can I get you to eat?"

"Just Curry Rice and a glass of milk. Thanks."

"Sure thing, Cliff."

I go to sit at a table alone, and while I wait for my food, I look around to see who's here. Duke is at his usual table. Rick and Karen are at a table, talking and laughing over their own dinner. And over by the door is—

Oh. Not good.

"Cliff?"

It's Jack.

"Hi, Jack." I force a smile. "Good to see you."

"You too." Jack's smile is genuine, and he sits down across from me. "How are you doing?"

"I'm all right." I glance over toward the door that leads to the kitchen. I'm supposed to ask how he's doing, I guess.

"The farm's been doing really well lately," Jack volunteers, still grinning. "I just had a calf born. Named her Jessie."

"Oh. That's cool." I nod.

"Oh, and…" Jack's smile falters slightly. "How's Jill?"

"She's all right. Thank you."

"Listen, Cliff, I'm really sorry about…about all of that." He reaches across the table to touch my shoulder with his hand. "You guys didn't deserve that."

I shrug away. "Thanks."

"Hey, Cliff." I turn to see Ann, standing behind me with a plate of Curry Rice and a glass of milk. "I've got your—" And then she spots Jack. "Oh, Jack! Hey!" She hurriedly passes off the food to me and goes over to Jack.

"I came to surprise you," Jack says, and he leans up and kisses her on the lips.

Ann beams at him. "That's so sweet of you."

I take a bite of my food.

"So, Cliff?" Ann says. "Are you staying here tonight?"

"Yeah." I take a drink of milk. "I lost track of time, and it's getting late…"

"Yeah, it's pretty dark out, isn't it?" Ann glances over at the counter. "Oh, I have to go. Sorry, guys." She gives Jack another swift kiss on the cheek, then hurries toward the counter just in time for Doug to lean in and give her a customer's order.

I take another bite of food.

"Well, I think I'll go order something to eat." Jack stands up and stretches. "I'm starving. Be back in a minute."

I nod, and as soon as Jack's back is turned, I start wolfing down my food as fast as humanly possible.

By the time Jack returns, my plate is clean, my glass empty. His eyes widen. "Wow," he says. "I guess you're hungrier than me, huh?"

"Well, I'm tired." I stand up. "I'll probably head up to bed."

"Okay." Jack sits down. "It was good to see you, Cliff. Tell Jill I said hello."

"Okay."

And then I make a beeline for the stairs.

* * *

"Cliff? Well, what do you know?"

My smile is not fake this time. Out of all the people in my life, Gray is one of the few I'm genuinely glad to see. He and I have been friends since we both moved into the Inn at about the same time.

"Hey, Gray." I sit down on my old bed, which is so neatly made that it's obvious no one's stayed in it since the last time I slept here, nearly a year ago. "It's good to see you."

"You too, man." Gray sits down on his own bed. "How is everything?"

"It's…" I sigh. I want to lie to him. But I can't. "It's not so great."

"I heard. I'm sorry."

The thing is, I know he is. He means it. And that means so much to me.

"I know, Gray. Thanks." I pause. "So. How are you and Mary?"

"We're doing pretty well." Gray smiles. "It's…really good."

Gray and Mary started dating back in the Spring, after an embarrassed and furiously blushing Gray gave Mary cookies for the Spring Thanksgiving Festival. They've been doing very well since then, and I know that Gray wants to propose eventually.

"I'm happy for you both," I say, and despite all the false smiles I've given, all the lies I've told, I really do mean it.

"Thanks." Gray takes off his hat and tosses aside the covers on his bed. "Man, I'm tired."

Tired.

Tired does not even begin to describe how I feel. It does not begin to describe my wife, the ghosts in her eyes.

We are wilted. Crumpled.

Empty.

"So am I," I say quietly, turning away from Gray.

_

* * *

_

i'll be honest, i haven't done any more work on this. but here's another chapter i do have written, in the hopes that it will inspire me to work a little more.


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